Union undergarment.



A. J. HARWOOD. UNION UNDERGARMBNT. APPLICATION FILED D1507, 19mv Patented Oct. 8, 1M2.

(3H vc n Yum iii , ing one in which the front opening and the mirrsn srA rns PATENT orricn.

A35. J. HARVJOOD, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE RICHMOND UNDER- WEAR COMPANY, OF RICHMOND, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

.UNIQN UNDEBGARMENT.

' A Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8. 1912.

Application filed December F, 1911. Serial No. 664,342.

25o all whom it may comma Beit known that I, ASA HAnwoon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of 'vVayne and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Union Undergarments, of 'which'the following is a specification. g

This invention relates to improvements in union suit underwear and especially to what are known as closed crotch garments.

Various diiferent kinds of union suits have been devised and a number of different constructions cl? the c'losed crotch type have also been used, the closed crotch garment berear opening of the suit are separated by a part of the garment which extends along at the perineum of the wearer. All of the rrnents of this character with which I urn amiiiar are objectionable on one or more grounds-either they fail to properly fit wearer, or they present considerable chihculties in the opening and closing of the garment under different conditions of use, and also present many dilliculties in manufacture. v

lV-hen these garments are intended for men, there are certain peculiarities in the snstoniv which makes it desirable that both sides oi the garment should not he alike, that is, that there should he more room on one lie than on the other, or the t the crotch of the garment should not, therefore, be in the exact, center of the garment. It is also desirable that the posterior opening should he so constructed that it will lit the anatomy of the wearer and remain closed, While at the some time ample provisions be made for opening the some with ample room for the wearer to get partly out of the garment. in a stooped position.

I attain these objects by the constructions shown in the accompanying drawings, in which--- I Figure 1 is a front 'view of a garment embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail of one of the parts of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail. oi one of the parts to form the posterior openin nd showing in dotted the manner o mhling the seine. of the complete fljtllf'iil iilii Like ps rh; characters ct it Briefly stated, in constructing my merit the fabric woven in the form of a cylindrical web in the usual way, after which it cut form the leg. the wearer after the'usuzil manner, and also out in the front and renr straight up the center to A point near the waist ling huh sides, front and back, being exaazil ZLllECL', which makes it possibleto cut tl e garments in large qua nt-iii as they 3 nst be for economical msmi'fncture. I then cut from the inc line of fabric two parts which are sewed into the back to give the necessary fullness and. also form the posterior opening. Both of these parts are adapted to be sewed into the leg seems at their lower ends, both extend to a. point near the waist line, each bein sewed at one side to a. cut edge of the faliric to form 1 side of the posterior opening, and also sewed together to form the top and bottom of said 7 opening, which is at the center of the garment; one of the special features of the invention lying in the particular manner of forming the lower portion of these parts by which 1 construct a closed crotch. and also a posterior opening with ample fullness and with :1 flap for covering the some, and this I do as follows: The larger piece, marked 1, is made of such dimensions that when sewed into position it- Will lap over the other part, 2 and form the posterior flap. I make an incision in this part, 1, on the line a a in Fig. 3, and this forms what might he termed a secondary flap, 3, which is folded toward the front of the garment and is sewed to the front side of the leg, forming a continuation of the leg seem, while the other part of this portion, 1, is sewed to the rear cut edge of the garment and extends from the leg seam, at Z2, up to a point at or near the center of the back of the garment in proximity to the waist line, at c. This secondary flap, 3, it will be seen forms a fullness at the top of one leg, preferably the left leg; the other portion of the part, i, or flap proper, 4t, which is vshove the incision a a, being adapted to fold over and cover the posterior opening. The other inserted part, 2, which may he called a gusset, is out along the line (Z-02, suhsi'antinily of the shape of the edge of the posterior opening, and has one side, 5, cut on u (i 'onul line which is adapted to he sewed into the upper portion of the right leg and joinedto the part, 1, and form a continuation of the line aa, which is also a continuation of thetri'ght) leg seam up from that point up to the neck of the wearer in the usual Way. .It will thus be seen that the 1garment is closed from the point 6 down to t e point where the side f the gusset joins onto the side a-a of the auxiliary flap of the main part, 1, and that the crotchproper is at one side of the center of the garment, and that the posterior opening extends from a point in the center of the garment slightly above the crotch to a point in the center of the garment at or near the waist line, while the front opening extends in the usual way from a point above the crotch to the neck. By this peculiar arrangement of parts it willfbe seen that there is a fullness at one side of the crotch, preferably on the left, which results in comfort to the wearer, while the garment may be made to fit accurately. The particular form of the gusset 2, in'connection with. the part 1, having the main and auxiliary flaps, as described, being joined together to form the closed crotch,-and the posterior, opening ex-.

tending froma pointin'the center line of the garment at the top .to a point slightly above the crotch at the bottom, produces the necessary fullness to conform to the shape of the-wearer and at the same time to properly fit" the wearer and give ready access through the posterior opening without unduly stretching the parts, while at the same time the parts will naturally set together by reason of the fact that they are joined at the logical point, namely, at the center line of the garment and on'the line of the perineum of the wearer, that is, the line I have shown this part, 1, formed of a single piece with the incision a-a which enables it to be folded over and sewed in as described. It is obvious thatthese parts might be separate pieces and accomplish the same result, but there would be apparently no advantage in making them separate, as it would require additional seams with probably no saving of material. It will be noticed that in having these divisions all \at the center of the garment, the advahtage in manufacture is very great, as, in cases where the posterior opening is cut diagonally or on a different line from the front opening,

it is impossible'to cut the'garments ln'quantities, the posterior 'opening'being necessarily formed in such cases by a separate opto the point e, where it terminates at the bottom of the from opening, which extends oration for each garment.

Having thus described my invention, I claim v 1. In a union-suit, a main body piece having front and posterior openings formed on the same line, two back pieces sewed in the posterior opening and extending from a point near the waist line toa point in each le below the crotch, respectively, one of said pieces being for'med with an auxiliary flap which is sewed to the upper endof one leg portion and forms a continuation of one leg, the other piece being sewed to the other leg and also to the auxiliary flap and formed on its free edge to form a side of the posterior opening, substantially as set forth.

.2. An undergarment formed of a cylindrical webbing cut centrally at the front and rear to form front and rear openings, and separate pieces sew edto the cut edgeof the back of the garment and extending into the leg portions thereof, one'of-said'pa'rts being curvedon its free edge .to form -a'side of the rear opening and the other part beingextendedto overlap'the'fir'st partand'form a cover, said second part being/also formed with an auxiliary portion adapted to be joined to the front and rear-of one-leg portion to form anenlarged continuation of the leg thereof and also oined'to the perineum portion and to the other part to form a closed crotch with the enlarged portion at one side of the crotch, as set forth.

3. In a union suit, a closed crotchand posterior opening formed by inserting two pieces in the rear portion of the garment which is cut centrally, said parts being joined together at the top and bottom of said rear opening and also joined respectively to the leg seams, one of saidiparts being provided with anauxiliary flap to form a continuation of one leg which extends to one side from the center or c hotch of the garment, as set forth.

In testimony whereof, I haveghereunto set my hand this 1st dayof Dece t mber, A. D. 1911.

ALFRED L. FLESH, An'rnun C. LINDEMUTH. 

